Sprayer



Feb. 6, 1951 w. w. cUsHMAN SPRAYER Filed April 17, 1946 -Patented Feb. 6, 11951 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE (Granted under the kact of March '3, 1883, as'

amended April 30, 192'8; 370 6. G. 75T) i! Claims.

The invention described herein, if patented, may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for `governmental purposes, without the payment to me of any royalty thereon.

Ihis invention relates to a sprayer, and more particularly, .to a sprayer for spraying liquid insecticides, germicides, and the like, in a `spray having the liquid particles in micro or minute size.

A major object of this invention is to provide a liquid sprayer-of a .compact portable nature of pocket size and which can be tightly sealed when not in use, and which will form a spray containing minute particles of liquid.

Another `object of this invention is to provide a pocket-type liquid sprayer having a hollow plunger for containing the liquid, 'a ller opening providing access to the interior of the plunger, a cap for sealing the ller opening, and a locking means associated with the cap to hold the plunger in an inoperative position.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a sprayer for vaporizing liquid into micro or minute particles in which a pump arrangement is utilized for forcing air upwardly through the spray liquid to entrain minute particles of liquid.

.It is still another object of this invention to provide a portable sprayer in which liquid is atomized by air forced through a capillary tube by a pump piston reciprocating in a pump cylinder and in which the pump piston includes a liquid open-ended chamber which is sealed off by a cap, and the pump cylinder and cap are provided with cooperative locking means for retaining the piston in depressed inoperative position.

It is still a further object of this invention to provide portable sprayer, forming a spray including both vaporized and atomized liquid particles, having means for forcing air upwardly through liquid to entrain particles in vaporized forni, and means for forcing said air through an atomizer for also entraining particles in atomized form.

Other objects and advantages of the present invention will ap-pear in the following detailed description and `particularly will be pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawing forming a part of the speciiication and in which:

Fig. l is a longitudinal sectional view through one embodiment oi the sprayer of this invention, wherein .the spray includes liquid ,particles in vaporzed form;

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional -view of -the sprayer .ofFig 11 taken .on line 2--2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal :sectional view through another embodiment l.of the sprayer of this invention, wherein the spray .includes .liquid -particles in atomized form;

Fig. 4 ris a transverse sectional view of the embodiment of Fig. 3, taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. :.5 isa longitudinal sectional View of still another embodiment ofthe sprayer of this invention, wherein the spray `includes liquid particles both in vaporized and ,atomized form; and

Fig. 6 .is a transverse sectional view-of the embodiment of Fig. 5, taken on line 6 6 of Fig. 5..

Referring to Figs. 1 and `2-of the drawing, there is `presen-ted a vaporizing sprayer, one :of the-embodiments Vof this invention, in which the reference symbol I denotes the pump cylinder for receiving in slidable-relationship the hollow cylindrical lplunger' 2. The cylinder I `has an open upper end through which the plunger 2 may be reciprocated, said open end being provided with internal threads 3, for a purpose to be described hereinafter. The plunger 2 is provided 'with a liquid chamber 4 fand its lower .end or bottom `I9 is provided with Va packing or gasket 5 for engaging the inner sidefof .the `cylinder I for pumping action- The packing or gasket 5 is secured to vthe bottom I9 'of the plunger by means vof a screw Vl5 threaded into the ybottom of the plunger, and vvhaving an opening 1 therethrough forming a passageway between `the lower portion of the cylinder and the liquid chamber 4. A suitable one-way valve, denoted generally by numeral is secured in the passageway 'I to permit air, compressed in the cylinder by the downward strokes of the plunger 2 to escape through the passageway l and up through the liquid in the chamber 4, and to prevent escape of liquid from the .chamber '4 in-to the cylinder. As shown, to accomplish this purpose, the valve 8 comprises the valvehead 9 yieldingly held against the valve seat Ill by means -of 'a spring Il held by the spider or strap `Ii. tting against the screw 6, as shown in Fig. 52.

The upper end of the plunger 2 is provided with a filler opening I3 having internal threads I4 for receiving a screw closure cap I5 having cooperating external threads I6 for sealing the opening I3. The cap I5 is also provided with external threads I'I, concentric with the threads I5, `for cooperation with the threads 3 on cylinder I, :as described hereinafter. The plunger 2 'is provided with an exit spray opening I8 `(shown exaggerated for clarity) near the top of the plunger, above the liquid level in chamber 4, l

In operation of the embodiment of Fig. 1, it is merely necessary to reciprocate plunger 2 within cylinder I in a pumping action to force air on the downstrokes from the bottom of the cylinder through passageway 'I and through the liquid in chamber 4 to entrain the liquid particles. The forced liquid with the entrained particles will be forced on each downstroke through exit opening I8 in the form of a spray, with the liquid particles in vaporized form. When it is desired to replenish the liquid in chamber 4, it is merely necessary to unscrew ller cap I5 from the threads I4 and pour spray liquid through opening I3. When the sprayer is not `in use, the

plunger 2 may be locked in depressed inoperative position by threading the threads Il of cap I5 into the threads 3 of the cylinder. This action will, in addition, seal oir the spray opening I8 to prevent loss of liquid from chamber 4 when the sprayer is not in use.

It is apparent that a compact portable sprayer has been devised in which the spray liquid is retained in the plunger and in which the liquid is sealed both during the pumping action and when the sprayer is in a state of non-use. In locking the plunger 2 in its depressed inoperative position, the cap I5 may be rotated to screw into the cylinder I to engage threads 3 of the cylinder or the cylinder may be rotated to engage threads I1 of the cap while the cap I5 is held stationary.

In the embodiment of Fig. 3, the pump structure is similar to that of the embodiment of Fig. 1 and similar parts bear the same reference symbols except for the addition of a prime symbol. As for example, the cylinder is denoted by the refer ence numeral I'. Thisembodiment differs from the embodiment of Fig. l in that it forms a spray solely by atomization and includes the following changes. The valve 8 is omitted, and instead, a central tube 20 has its lower end threaded through the bottom I9 of the hollow plunger and forming a communication with the interior of the cylinder I. The upper end of tube 20 is curved as at 2 I and is formed into a capillary horizontal portion 22 communicating with the spray opening I 8. Communicating with the passageway 22 is a tube 23' extending downwardly and having its lower end positioned adjacent to the bottom of the liquid chamber 4. The curved portion 2| of the tube 2U is provided with a minute opening 24' (shown exaggerated for clarity) for a purpose to be described hereinafter.

In the operation of the species shown in Fig. 3, pumping action will force air upwardly through the tube 2D and through the passageway 22'.

The suction produced by the air in passageway 22 will draw liquid from liquid chamber 4' up through the pipe 23 and atomization will take place in the passageway 22. Air will enter the top of the chamber li through minute opening24 to displace the liquid removed and maintain atmospheric pressure on the top of the liquid in chamber 4. To increase the degree of atomization, the passageway 22 is shaped to form a Venturi tube to increase the suction eiTect. The cornbined air and atomized liquid particles will be forced outwardly through opening I8 in the form of a spray. In this embodiment, the filler cap I5 will function in the same manner as cap I5 of the species of Fig. l to seal oi the liquid in chamber 4. At the same time, locking the plunger 2 in depressed and inoperative position is accomplished by means of the threads I' on the cap cooperating withfthe threads 3' at the top of the cylinder.

Gil

The embodiment shown in Fig. 5 combines the vaporization feature of the species of Fig. 1 with the atomization feature of the species of Fig. 3 and similar parts bear the same reference symbols as their counterparts in the embodiment of Figs. 1 and 3 except including the addition of a double prime symbol. For example, the cylinder is denoted by the numeral I. In the embodiment of Fig. 5, the valve structure 8 is exactly the same as the valve structure 8 in the species of Fig. l. The tube 23 is similar to the tube 23 of the `embodiment of Fig. 3 and has its upper end merging into a horizontally extending stub tube 22 connecting with spray opening I8" and communicating with the top of liquid chamber 4".

In the operation of the embodiment of Fig. 5, on the plunger 2" downstrokes, air is forced through the passageway 'I" up through the liquid in the chamber 4 to entrain liquid particles in vaporized form. The combined air and vapor particles will be forced through the stub tube 22" and outwardly through spray opening I8". The suction produced in tube 22" will draw liquid up through tube 23 and which liquid will be atomized by the rush of air in tube 22". Thus, the air forced through spray opening I 8", will include liquid particles both in vaporized and atomized form. The cap I5" serves the same function as the caps in the species of Figs. 1 and 3.

While the invention has been described in more or less detail, it is not to be limited thereby, as changes may be made in the form, arrangement and construction of parts, and equivalents may be substituted, without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed, the forms hereinbefore described being merely preferred embodiments thereof.

I claim:

l. In a sprayer, the combination of a pump cylinder, a plunger' reciprocable in said cylinder and provided with a ller opening, a liquid chamber provided in said plunger, a packing secured to the lower end of said plunger for engaging the cylinder wall for pumping action, said plunger provided with a spray opening adjacent its upper end, a vertically extending tube within the liquid chamber having its upper end disposed at one side of and just below the spray opening, another tube xed to said plunger and disposed within the same and having its lower end communicating with the interior of said cylinder and its upper end communicating with the spray opening and the upper end of the first-mentioned tube, for atomizing liquid passing upwardly through the first-mentioned tube and causing a spray to be projected through the spray opening, the open ends of the cylinder and plunger being threaded, and a cap provided with threads for cooperation with the threads of the cylinder and plunger.

2. In a sprayer, the combination of a pump cylinder, a plunger reciprocable in said cylinder and provided with a filler opening, a liquid chamber provided in said plunger, a packing secured to the lower end of said plunger for engaging the cylinder wall for pumping action, said plunger provided with a spray opening adjacent its upper end, a vertically extending tube within the liquid chamber having its upper end disposed at one side of and just below the spray opening, another tube fixed to said plunger and disposed within the same and having its lower end communicating with the interior of said cylinder and its upper end cornmunicating with the spray opening and the upper end of the first-mentioned tube. for atomlzing liquid passing upwardly through the rst-mentioned tube and causing a spray to be projected through the spray opening, and a cap threadedly engaging said plunger for sealing oi said filler opening, 'said cap having means for locking the 5 plunger in depressed inoperative position.

WALTON W. CUSHMAN.

REFERENCES CITED UNITED STATES PATENTS Number The following references are of record in the if' Number le of this [patent:

Name Date Gauthier July 17, 1888 Dorment Sept. 3, 1907 Vendome et al May 11, 1926 Segal Feb. 16, 1932 Margoles Apr. 4, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Country Date France June 21, 1927 

